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The Oldest Psychology Text

Psychology According to The Book of Job

Contents

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The Holy Terror of God

II Corinthians 5:11: Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.
Nehemiah 1:11: thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper
Psalm 2:11: Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
Psalm 25:14: The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will show them his covenant.
Psalm 111:10: The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.
Ecclesiastes 12:13: Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
Acts 9:31: Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.
Epphesians 5:21: Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
Phillipians 2:12: work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
Hebrews 12:28-29: Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire.
I Peter 3:15: But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:


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God's Standard

God has a standard of conduct, which is law and the prophets. The Bible makes it clear that no one will enter the Kingdom but by full and complete compliance with the law.

Not one jot or tiddle shall pass away. I would not know sin but by the Law. The Law as school master.


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Being Double-Minded

Exodus 19:24 and thou shalt come up, thou, and Aaron with thee: but let not the priests and the people break through to come up unto the LORD, lest he break forth upon them.
Exodus 20:21 and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.

At the heart of double-mindedness is the contradictory desire to have the presence of God (at least the blessing of God) while living according to one's own desire. Such double-mindedness cannot stand in the presence of God. Aaron clearly had his own agenda. Aaron has the great priviledge of approuching God with Moses on Mount Sinai. Despite this he does not approuch with Moses. Soon he is to be found creating a golden calf for the people to worship. Later he will join with Marium in rebellion against Moses.

Joshua is the one who waits at the base of the mountain. He has not been given the privilege of approuching God, so he waits at the limit of what he is given. Joshua, like Moses, is of a singular mind. While Aaron will die in the wilderness, Joshua will take the place of Moses and lead the Israelites into the promised land.


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Dealing With Pain

Anyone in deep pain is going to come to the Book of Job and see reassurance. The reassurance that just because their life is in a miserable state, that doesn't necessarily mean that God is unhappy with them. Certainly, in the case of Job, God was not only pleased with Job, but boasted on Job's character: "Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?" (Job 1:8).

Unfortunately this kind of reassurance can reinforce religious self-satisfaction, which is at the heart of Job's failings before God. It is important to read deeper in Job to really see that God is after something in Job, and that Job, despite all of his good works, which even God admires, is not justified. By His grace and mercy, God crushes Job to a fine powder, in order that Job will repent of religious self-satisfaction and give himself fully to God.

There is also an underlying encouragement to faith in the Book of Job. Contention, such as Job's, is discouraged, God scolds Job for contentiousness, but is not punished. The message for Job is to be patient and to press in tighter to God. Where he to passionately desire God's desire, to seek God in the midst of his trial, then God says, "thine own right hand can save thee" (Job 40:14).

There is also a clear message for those witnessing the suffering of a friend or loved one: Do Not Judge them. While Job's friends thought that they understood why Job was suffering, they were wrong. Because they spoke condemnation to their friend, which was not from God, they are condemned (Job 42:7). Only by sacrificing to Job and seeking his mercy are they set free from this condemnation (Job 42:8).

David's loss of his first son by Bathsheba.

The rebellion of Absalom


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Tormentors

Job's Wife (soul ties)

Eliphaz (Visions) (worldly knowledge)

Bildad (tradition)

Zophar (great learning)

Elihu (inner voices)


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Why Doesn't God Answer?

"Philosophy and science have not always been friendly toward the idea of God, the reason being that they are dedicated to the task of accounting for things and are impatient with anything that refuses to give an account of itself," (A.W.Tozer).


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Proud and Qualified

Following my standard.


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Peace and Quiet

Matthew 12.34: O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

Following God's standard.


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Elihu

Luke 6:45: A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

I hope that the eagerness and the abruptness of Elihu is not too apparent in my writting here, there is much of Elihu, (and therefore Job), in me. Lord give me the patience to wait in stillness until it is time to speak.

Elihu as a Manifestation of Job's Character


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The Behemoth

Drawing close to God


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The Leviathan

Job :: (KJV)

My own world (idols). the danger of self

Sigmund Freud:

boiling inside. his own light

Karl Menninger:

armour

Carl Jung:

insullar


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*All Bible quotes are from the King James Version unless otherwise indicated.


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Copyright © 2000-2002 Wm W Wells. All rights reserved.
Wm W Wells: Monday, November 27, 2000